top of page

HELLO, I'M

Daniela

Andean Archaeologist, PhD Candidate, Project Co-Director & Lead Researcher

Daniela Raillard Arias Headshot E 02.22.jpeg

Daniela Maria Raillard Arias

she | her | hers | ella | elle

PhD Candidate
Master of Arts
Honours Bachelor of Arts
(with High Distinction)

  • PIAMS_FINAL_WHT
  • Instagram
  • TikTok
  • Anthro logo_edited
  • LinkedIn
  • Academia_edited_edited
About

About

ME

I am an archaeologist and PhD candidate specializing in the histories and cultures of the pre-colonial Andes in South America. My research involves landscape, ecology, and community-engagement. I have over a decade of experience in archaeology, I am trilingual, and I am dedicated to building equitable futures in my field.

MY BACKGROUND

From a young age, I've always wanted to learn more about Andean history, a curiosity sparked by my mother's stories and traditions from Colombia. I grew up in northern Canada, where being outdoors is the way of life, and my father, a Swiss biologist and mountaineer, also nurtured me with this lifestyle. These experiences shaped my interests in Andean archaeology.

Anchor 1
Anchor 2
Education & Experience

Education

WHAT I’VE LEARNED

2021

PhD Candidate

Northwestern University, Department of Anthropology

Dissertation Proposal: Ancestral Monuments and Community Resilience During Periods of Ecological and Social Crisis in the Chachapoya Region, Peru

GPA: 3.959

Experience

WHERE I’VE WORKED

2022 - Present

Co-Director & Principal Investigator

Proyecto de Investigación Arqueológica MAPA-SACHA

2017 - Present

Graduate Researcher & Teacher's Assistant

Northwestern University, Evanston, USA

2017

Independent Researcher

Amazonas & Huanuco Departments, Peru

2019

Master of Arts

Northwestern University, Department of Anthropology

Thesis: To Know the Dead: The production of mortuary landscapes through movement in the Chachapoya region, Peru

2016

Honours Bachelor of Arts with High Distinction

University of Toronto, Woodsworth College, St. George

Anthropology Major, Archaeology Major, Latin American Studies Minor

GPA: 3.5

2016 - 2018

Assistant Archaeologist

Proyecto Arqueologico Tambillo, Leymebamba, Peru

​

August 2015

Assistant Archaeologist

Lac Leamy Public Excavation

National Capital Commission, Ottawa, Canada

May - August 2015

Tour Guide

Capital Cruises, Ottawa, Canada

January - April 2015

Laboratory Assistant

University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada

July - August 2014
2012

Ecole Mathieu-Martin, Secondary School Diploma

International Baccalaureate Certificate

Academic Honours

Undergraduate Excavator

Proyecto Arqueologico Jatanca y Huaca Colorada, Pacasmayo, Peru

May - September 2013

Nature and Heritage Interpreter

Cape Jourimain Nature Center, Bayfield, Canada

IMG_9381.jpeg

LANDSCAPE & GEOSPATIAL ANALYSIS

Skills & Languages

Skills & Languages

WHAT I BRING TO THE TABLE

Data Analysis

Writing & Editing

Research Design & Implementation

Project Management

Archaeological Field & Lab Methods

Public & Community Engagement

Communication, Emotional Intuition & Cultural Sensitivity

English

Spanish

French

Awards & Interests

Awards & Fellowships

WHERE I SHINE

University Fellow

The Graduate School at Northwestern University

2017-2023

$423 586

Grantee

The Graduate School Graduate Research Grant June 2022

$2 985

Grantee

Latin American and Caribbean Studies (LACS) Graduate Summer Research Grants 2019-2022

$2 750

Grantee

The Graduate School Conference Travel Grants

2019, 2023

$1 600

Grantee

LeCron Foster & Friends of Anthropology Research Grant

2018, 2023

$3 000

Grantee

The Wenner-Gren Foundation Dissertation Fieldwork Grant April 2022

$19 895

Participant

Kaplan Public Humanities Graduate Research Workshop 2021-2022 Cohort

$500

Grantee

Andean Cultures and Histories Working Group Graduate Summer Research Grants 2018, 2022

$750

Grantee

TGS Interdisciplinary Conference Travel Grant

2023

$1 000

Grantee

FAN Research Emergency Fund

2022

$500

Fellow

The Spatial Archaeology Residential and Online Institute (SAROI), at University of Arkansas-Fayetteville CAST

2022-2023 Cohort

$13 100

Graduate Fellow

Center for Native American and Indigenous Research (CNAIR) 2019-2020 Cohort

$1 500

Mellon Cluster Fellow

Latin American and Caribbean Studies Cluster

2017

$ 2 500

Grantee

Native American and Indigenous Studies Cluster Graduate Student Research Award

2023

$300

Grantee

NU TGS Dependent Care Professional Development & Childcare Grants

$4 000

Teaching Experience

SELECT TESTIMONIALS

"I'm so glad I had Daniela as a TA again this quarter. She is incredibly helpful and understanding and always has great feedback and knowledge of the course content."

Anonymous Student Feedback, ANTHRO 211 Culture & Society

“Daniela made herself available, during section and afterwards, and was glad to help us out. She was very enthusiastic and excited to share her personal experiences in the field with us. It really felt like she wanted us to succeed, especially when she'd go above and beyond, offering to help us network if this was a field we wanted to get into. I have never had a TA offer such a useful resource, and I wish more would be like her. "

Anonymous Student Feedback, ANTHRO 214 Archeology: Unearthing History

"Strengths - Super cute, super responsive, super helpful and considerate.

Weakness - None, she just needs to be a professor already!"
 

Anonymous Student Feedback, ANTHRO 214 Archeology: Unearthing History

Teaching Experience

PAST COURSES 

Archeology: Unearthing History

Introduction to Archaeology

2018, 2020

Culture & Society

Introduction to Cultural Anthropology

2020

Human Origins

Introduction to Biological Anthropology

2019, 2020

Global Health Studies

Introduction to International
Public Health

2019

GUEST LECTURES

Ecologies of Ancestors: Tracing Environmental Relationships through Chachapoya Mortuary Architecture

Archaeology of the Central Andes
Harvard University

2023

Fieldwork in Latin America: Stories from the Amazonian Andes, Northeastern Peru

Introduction to Archaeology
Northwestern University

2022

Above-Ground Mortuary Architecture in the Chachapoya Region, Peru

The Chicago Archaeological Society

2022

Heritage, History, and Multivocal Narratives of the Past

Introduction to Archaeology
Northwestern University

2022

​

Affiliations

SAROI Logo.png

Fellow

The Spatial Archaeology Online and Residential Institute

University of Arkansas-Fayetteville

ACT Leyme Logo.jfif

Associate

Asociación Comunal de Turismo, Cultura y Medio Ambiente de Leymebamba

Leymembamba Peru 

CNAIR logo.jfif

Fellow

Center for Native American and Indigenous Research

Northwestern University

LACS logo.png

Affiliate

Latin American and Caribbean Studies Program

Northwestern University

 

Anthro logo.jpg

Fellow

Department of Anthropology

Northwestern University

Affiliations
bottom of page